Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Aaron Harang throws the first pitch of the season for the Reds in the first inning.

CINCINNATI — Reds pitcher Aaron Harang didn’t notice anything unusual about the baseballs during Cincinnati’s season opener.

St. Louis starter Chris Carpenter complained about the balls being slick after the Cardinals’ 11-6 win on [...]]]> Associated Press

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Aaron Harang throws the first pitch of the season for the Reds in the first inning.

CINCINNATI — Reds pitcher Aaron Harang didn’t notice anything unusual about the baseballs during Cincinnati’s season opener.

St. Louis starter Chris Carpenter complained about the balls being slick after the Cardinals’ 11-6 win on Monday.

Carpenter said some of the balls felt as if they hadn’t been rubbed up with mud, which takes the shine off them. The job is usually done in the umpires’ room before games.

Carpenter said the same thing about the baseballs following his final 2009 appearance at Great American Ball Park.

Harang went five innings in the Opening Day loss. He said on Wednesday that some of the balls felt “chalky,” but that’s not unusual when the mud dries.

“Sometimes they have a little chalky feel to them,” Harang said. “The mud just kind of dries up and sits on the ball. It happens everywhere. You just throw them back [to the umpire] if you don’t like it. I’ve never had a problem with it.”

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa mentioned Carpenter’s complaint to Reds general manager Walt Jocketty, a close friend from their days together in St. Louis. La Russa said he won’t pursue it further.

“You alert them, and the organization will fix it if there is a problem,” La Russa said. “I talked to Walt. I know he doesn’t know anything [about the baseballs]. Sometimes it’s a situation where the home pitcher doesn’t want the ball rubbed up as much.”

Carpenter allowed two runs in six innings on an uncharacteristically warm Opening Day — sunny and 78 degrees at the first pitch.

“He threw pretty good,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday. “I’d hate to seem him pitch if he didn’t have slippery baseballs.”

Big Mac McGwire will be on the Cardinals bench for the Reds' opener. What else is in store Monday?

CINCINNATI — Mark McGwire got a lot of ovations and a little rest in Cincinnati the day after he broke baseball’s home run record. A dozen years later, he’s back in [...]]]> Associated Press

Big Mac McGwire will be on the Cardinals bench for the Reds' opener. What else is in store Monday?

CINCINNATI — Mark McGwire got a lot of ovations and a little rest in Cincinnati the day after he broke baseball’s home run record. A dozen years later, he’s back in town, looking for a different kind of rejuvenation.

Big Mac will be in the St. Louis Cardinals dugout for their season opener against the Reds on Monday, reviving a baseball career enmeshed in debate over the steroid era.

Nine years after he quit playing, he’s back in uniform as batting coach.

“It’s going to be really good,” McGwire said, before the team left Florida from spring training. “The potential of this team is really, really good. We’ve got a bunch of good, talented players who are going to get their feet wet. It’s going to be exciting to watch.”

A lot of eyes will be on McGwire, now 46 with crow’s-feet eyes and a slimmed-down body. When the Cardinals hired him, McGwire acknowledged that he used steroids as a player, including the season when he broke Roger Maris’ home run record.

He hit No. 62 in St. Louis on Sept. 8, 1998, then flew with the team to Cincinnati, getting hardly any sleep amid all the hoopla. The Reds had sold 51,969 tickets for that next-day game — their largest gate at Cinergy Field for a weekday game other than opening day — and McGwire felt obligated to be in the lineup.

When he came to the plate the first time, he got an ovation that lasted more than a minute and prompted him to back away from the plate three times to acknowledge the crescendo of cheers.

On Monday, Cincinnati fans will get the first chance to show how they feel now that McGwire has confessed to using steroids and human growth hormone off-and-on for a decade, including the 1998 season when he finished with 70 homers.

Barry Bonds later topped his mark, hitting 73 in 2001.

It’ll be one of the more intriguing moments in a matchup of defending NL Central champions and a Reds team that thinks it has enough pitching — and maybe enough hitting as well — to compete in the division.

“It will be nice to see him again,” said Reds general manager Walt Jocketty, who traded to get McGwire in St. Louis. “I haven’t seen him for a couple of years. I think it’s nice to see he’s back in uniform, back in the game. But I’m not going to be too happy about it. He’s on the opposition now.”

And he’s got quite a lineup to coach.

The Cardinals’ search for someone to bat behind No. 3 hitter Albert Pujols finally ended last July when they traded for Matt Holliday. He batted .353 with 55 RBIs in 63 games, giving St. Louis one of the best 3-4 combinations in the National League.

First up to try to contain them this season is Aaron Harang, making his fifth straight opening day start for Cincinnati. The right-hander has gotten accustomed to the first-game festivities, which force starting pitchers to adjust their warm-up routines.

“I’ve done it four times now,” said Harang, who is 1-3 on opening day. “I know what to expect. If you’d have asked me before the first time I was going into this, I couldn’t have told you what I was going to do. That’s the thing about opening day — you have to make adjustments.”

Harang is one of the Reds’ biggest questions as they try to break their streak of nine straight losing seasons, their longest in a half-century. The ace of the staff, Harang went only 12-31 the last two seasons, when he was limited by injuries.

“It’s important,” Jocketty said. “If we’re going to compete in our division, our starting pitching has to be strong.”

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey pitches in the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Saturday, April 3, 2010, in Goodyear, Ariz.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Chris Perez will start the season with a clean slate as the Cleveland Indians’ closer.

That will be a relief after the [...]]]> Associated Press

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey pitches in the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Saturday, April 3, 2010, in Goodyear, Ariz.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Chris Perez will start the season with a clean slate as the Cleveland Indians’ closer.

That will be a relief after the young right-hander couldn’t keep the Cincinnati Reds from erasing a three-run deficit Saturday, giving up three runs for a 10-10 tie.

“Spring training is over and from now we’ll evaluate Chris starting Monday in Chicago,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “We would have liked to see him finish up in a better way. He had some good outings, some bad ones.”

Perez is closing while veteran Kerry Wood rehabs a sore back. He went 1/3 with a 5.56 ERA and two saves in 12 spring outings.

Wood, out since March 14, did some light throwing Saturday, but is not expected to return until May. He is on the disabled list for the 13th time in his career.

The Indians may have lost starting second baseman Luis Valbuena, too. He left after being hit on the right hand by a pitch from Reds starter Homer Bailey. The Indians said that X-rays were negative and that Valbuena is day to day with a contusion on the hand.

Veterans Mark Grudzielanek and outfielder Austin Kearns were added to Cleveland’s roster after the game. Grudzielanek could replace Valbuena in the lineup against the White Sox on Monday.

Perez allowed a two-run homer to Dennis Phipps, walked a batter, then gave up a tying triple to Alex Buchholz.

“That kid Buchholz — that was the at-bat of the spring right there,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said after the minor leaguer fouled off several pitches before connecting. “You like to see a young kid come up and battle and battle. That was worth its weight in gold.

“Now it’s time to do the real thing.”

Mike Redmond drove in four runs and starter Justin Masterson struck out seven over five innings for Cleveland.

Bailey gave up six runs and six hits over six innings in his longest outing of the spring. He also singled home a run.

Bailey has spent parts of three seasons with the Reds, but will be on the opening-day roster for the first time.

“I have to pack up a lot of stuff, but to me it’s like the beginning of any other season,” the right-hander said.

“My spring was so-so. I saw a lot of positives. I saw a few negatives, but those will be ironed out.”

Reds right-hander Logan Ondrusek is a little more excited about going to the majors for the first time.

“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “When I found out I made the team yesterday, I called my parents. They both started yelling and screaming. I’m pretty sure my mom started crying.”

Minor league third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, the Indians’ first-round draft pick in 2008, hit a two-run homer in the first inning.

Ryan Hanigan hit a three-run double in a five-run seventh inning that gave Cincinnati a 7-6 lead.

Luis Rodriguez’s two-run, broken-bat single put Cleveland ahead 8-7 in the eighth. Rodriguez was designated for assignment along with catcher Wyatt Toregas after the game.

Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto went 2-for-3 and had 13 hits in his final 18 at-bats to finish with a .351 spring average.

Game notes

Cincinnati first-base coach Billy Hatcher became a Reds player 20 years ago Saturday in a trade with Pittsburgh for INF Jeff Richardson and RHP Mike Roesler. Hatcher started in center field for the 1990 Reds’ wire-to-wire world champions. … Cleveland OF Grady Sizemore did not play, but reached base safely in 20 of his last 35 plate appearances with 13 hits and seven walks, finishing with a .381 average and 13 RBIs. He had surgery on his left elbow and abdomen in September.

Bronson Arroyo was hit hard during his final spring start and committed a costly throwing error in the Reds’ 10-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Friday night.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Bronson Arroyo was hit hard during his final spring start and committed a costly throwing error in the Cincinnati [...]]]> Associated Press

Bronson Arroyo was hit hard during his final spring start and committed a costly throwing error in the Reds’ 10-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Friday night.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Bronson Arroyo was hit hard during his final spring start and committed a costly throwing error in the Cincinnati Reds‘ 10-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Friday night.

Arroyo allowed 10 runs and 11 hits in four innings. The right-hander’s error in the third led to five unearned runs.

“Bronson wasn’t sharp tonight, but he had to get his work in,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “He feels good. He just wasn’t sharp. He was missing.”

Lou Marson hit a three-run homer in the fourth for Cleveland. The rookie, one of four players acquired in the July trade that sent Cliff Lee to Philadelphia, will share the catching duties with veteran Mike Redmond.

Triple-A right-hander Yohan Pino started for Cleveland and gave up three runs and three hits over 4 2/3 innings, including Brandon Phillips’ solo homer in the second inning.

Mark Grudzielanek returned to the Indians’ lineup after missing five days with a slightly strained right hamstring and had three hits and scored three times.

Grudzielanek, a 39-year-old who came to Cleveland’s camp as a non-roster free agent, will be officially added to the team before the Indians open the season on Monday in Chicago. He’s hitting .303 with five doubles and seven RBIs.

“Mark has showed all spring that he is still very athletic and a good player,” manager Manny Acta said. “He brings experience, a good glove, and he’s been getting timely hits.”

Grudzielanek started at third base, a position he has not played in a big league game since 1995 as a rookie with the Montreal Expos. He’s played primarily second base during a 14-year career, winning a gold glove at the position in 2006 with Kansas City.

Game notes

RHP Mike Leake has earned a spot in the Reds’ rotation. Cincinnati’s No. 1 pick in 2009 from Arizona State will stay in the minor-league camp until the Reds need a fifth starter April 11. … The Reds released RHP Kip Wells and sent eight to Triple-A Louisville: LHPs Aroldis Chapman, Travis Wood and Matt Maloney, RHPs Jared Burton and Justin Lehr, C Wilkin Castillo and INF-OFs Chris Burke and Drew Sutton. … INF Aaron Miles and OF Wladimir Balentien were told they did not make the Reds 25-man roster. The team is trying to work out trades or negotiate with the players to stay in the organization. Miles is on a guaranteed $2.7 million contract. … Cleveland purchased RHP Jamey Wright from Triple-A Columbus and reassigned RHP Saul Rivera, C-1B Chris Gimenez and INFs Brian Buscher, Niuman Romero and Luis Rodriguez to minor-league camp.

The Cincinnati Reds brain trust was fretting the final roster moves.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Cincinnati Reds organization Top Brass was having their hardest  final roster cuts of all time.

Here are the final cuts:

Optioned to Triple-A Louisville: RHP Jared Burton, LHPs Travis Wood and Matt Maloney and INF Drew Sutton.

Assigned to Louisville: [...]]]> Staff and Wire Reports

The Cincinnati Reds brain trust was fretting the final roster moves.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Cincinnati Reds organization Top Brass was having their hardest  final roster cuts of all time.

Here are the final cuts:

Optioned to Triple-A Louisville: RHP Jared Burton, LHPs Travis Wood and Matt Maloney and INF Drew Sutton.

Assigned to Louisville: C Wilkin Castillo, INF Chris Burke.

Released: RHP Kip Wells

INF Aaron Miles and OF Wladimir Balentien were told they won’t make the team. Walt Jocketty said he would work to trade them.

Juan Francisco made the team as an extra infielder, as did Miguel Cairo. RHP Logan Ondrusek made it and essentially took Burton’s spot. The Reds will break camp with 11 pitchers.

Micah Owings and Mike Lincoln earned bullpen jobs. The roster is at 28. Miles and Wladimir Balentien are still on the roster, but they won’t be by Monday.

The camp still stands at 28 players. Cairo, Mike Leake and OF Laynce Nix still have to be added to the 40-man roster. Miles and Balentien count for two spots. Leake will remain in camp until he’s needed to start (likely on April 11) and another move will be needed.

Here is the roster as it stands:

Pitchers

61 Arroyo, Bronson
34 Bailey, Homer
48 Cordero, Francisco
47 Cueto, Johnny
39 Harang, Aaron
52 Herrera, Daniel Ray
76 Leake, Mike*
57 Lincoln, Mike
40 Masset, Nick
66 Ondrusek, Logan
33 Owings, Micah
53 Rhodes, Arthur

Catchers

29 Hanigan, Ryan
55 Hernandez, Ramon

Infielders

2 Cabrera, Orlando
43 Cairo, Miguel*
64 Francisco, Juan
7 Janish, Paul
3 Miles, Aaron (Reds working to trade)
4 Phillips, Brandon
27 Rolen, Scott
19 Votto, Joey

Outfielders

25 Balentien, Wladimir (Reds working to trade)
32 Bruce, Jay
21 Dickerson, Chris
31 Gomes, Jonny
17 Nix, Laynce*
6 Stubbs, Drew

Leake stated his case with a stellar six-inning start during the Reds' 8-3 split-squad win over the A's on Wednesday. He allowed two earned runs and four hits with one walk and two strikeouts for the victory.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Cincinnati Reds have determined their fifth starter — [...]]]> By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

Leake stated his case with a stellar six-inning start during the Reds' 8-3 split-squad win over the A's on Wednesday. He allowed two earned runs and four hits with one walk and two strikeouts for the victory.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Cincinnati Reds have determined their fifth starter — right-hander Mike Leake – though they have not officially announced anything.

Travis Wood, who was also competing to be Cincy’s fifth starter, learned of the decision first on Friday and returned to the clubhouse to start packing his things. About five minutes later, Leake walked back from his meeting trying to contain his smile. He and Wood bumped fists.

Leake confirmed that he had been given the good news.

“It’s kind of surreal right now,” Leake said. “It has to soak in a little.”

Leake, the eighth overall pick in last summer’s First-Year Player Draft, will be the first drafted pitcher to skip the Minor Leagues since Darren Dreifort of the Dodgers in 1994.

Leake stated his case with a stellar six-inning start during the Reds’ 8-3 split-squad win over the A’s on Wednesday. He allowed two earned runs and four hits with one walk and two strikeouts for the victory.

“He was terrific,” Reds pitching coach Bryan Price said of Leake. “He threw just like he’s been throwing almost the entire spring. He commanded the bottom of the zone, he worked ahead, he worked quickly, never gave in to the hitter. It was good to see him have some runners on and see how he reacted to the home run and sacrifice fly. He was able to come back and roll a quick 1-2-3 inning in the sixth.”

In six spring games, including two starts, the right-handed Leake has gone 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA. In 18 innings, he allowed 16 hits with four walks and struck out 10.

Reds Team Report 4-1-10

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Reds were one of the popular picks as a sleeper team among baseball experts. The team created a little buzz with what Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman(notes) did in camp.

Manager Dusty Baker began hearing good things about his club early in camp, and it [...]]]> INSIDE PITCH, Yahoo Sports

Reds Team Report 4-1-10

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The Reds were one of the popular picks as a sleeper team among baseball experts. The team created a little buzz with what Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman(notes) did in camp.

Manager Dusty Baker began hearing good things about his club early in camp, and it continued.

“Every day, I hear,” Baker said.

Is that gratifying?

“Not yet,” Baker said. “It’ll be gratifying when you do it and (the players) believe it. They see our (25-man roster). That’s what you’ve got to look at.”

Opposing big-league teams won’t get to see Chapman right away, as the 22-year-old will open the season in the minors, general manager Walt Jocketty announced March 30.

The Reds have an infield with three Gold Glovers—second baseman Brandon Phillips(notes), shortstop Orlando Cabrera(notes) and third baseman Scott Rolen(notes). The outfield is young with a lot of speed in center (Drew Stubbs(notes) or Chris Dickerson(notes)) and right (Jay Bruce(notes)).

The good defense should help a team that is built around pitching. Veteran starters Aaron Harang(notes) and Bronson Arroyo(notes) are nice compliment to youngster Homer Bailey(notes) and Johnny Cueto(notes).

The bullpen, anchored by closer Francisco Cordero(notes), was third in the NL last year in ERA. Everyone is back.

The offense is the question. First baseman Joey Votto(notes) was third in the National League in on-base-plus-slugging percentage last year. Phillips drove in 98 runs.

The hope is having Rolen all year will help Votto and Phillips.

Late signee Jonny Gomes(notes) won the left field spot by leading the team in home runs during the spring through March 26.

But the Reds are going to need Bruce, Stubbs and Dickerson to come through as well.

(Complete Story)

Manager Dusty Baker says that most of the Reds' roster moves will come on Friday.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — On Thursday morning, with 40 players still in big league camp, manager Dusty Baker mentioned that it would be a “serious cut day.” By the end of the afternoon, only two moves were made.

Catcher Corky [...]]]> Associated Press

Manager Dusty Baker says that most of the Reds' roster moves will come on Friday.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — On Thursday morning, with 40 players still in big league camp, manager Dusty Baker mentioned that it would be a “serious cut day.” By the end of the afternoon, only two moves were made.

Catcher Corky Miller was re-assigned to the Minor League camp and right-handed reliever Carlos Fisher was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Neither of the moves were surprising.

“We’ll have most of them [Friday],” Baker said of the remaining cuts.

Miller batted .200 (4-for-20) in 13 games. Fisher posted a 10.38 ERA in three games with five hits, four walks and five strikeouts. He also missed time with a sore right elbow.

No announcement was made about who would be the Reds’ fifth starter, which means that finalists Travis Wood and Mike Leake will have another anxious night to wait for the news.

“There are a few things we have to discuss first. We’ll see,” Baker said. “There’s a lot more to it than just being the fifth starter.”

The Reds must set their 25-man roster by 3 p.m. ET on Sunday. The club will hold a workout that day at Great American Ball Park. It is closed to the public.

“We’d like to have it set before we get there,” Baker said.

Scott Rolen runs the bases after hitting a two-run homer off Texas pitcher Frank Francisco in the first inning of the game in Goodyear, Ariz.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Right-hander Johnny Cueto had trouble getting his back loose and struggled through four innings Thursday, but Scott Rolen hit a homer and sacrifice fly that [...]]]> Associated Press

Scott Rolen runs the bases after hitting a two-run homer off Texas pitcher Frank Francisco in the first inning of the game in Goodyear, Ariz.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Right-hander Johnny Cueto had trouble getting his back loose and struggled through four innings Thursday, but Scott Rolen hit a homer and sacrifice fly that rallied the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-6 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Cueto hasn’t had any issues with his back this spring and didn’t think the problem was serious. He gave up 10 hits and five runs in four innings, including a leadoff homer by Julio Borbon. Cueto also hit two batters and walked another. He struck out six, including the last two batters he faced.

“When I threw in the bullpen, my back was a little tight,” Cueto said.

Given his problems warming up, the Reds took him out after four innings, which matched his longest start of the spring.

“One of those things,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He was getting the ball up more than he usually does and his velocity was down a little bit.”

Rolen hit a two-run homer off closer Frank Francisco, who started the game and gave up four hits in his one inning. Francisco hadn’t given up a run in four previous innings this spring.

“I didn’t think he’d go all spring without giving up runs against good hitters,” manager Ron Washington said. “He got his inning in. He felt good. That’s what’s important.”

Rolen has struggled this spring, bringing a .227 average into the game. He has looked better at the plate the last couple of games.

Reds minor leaguer Daniel Dorn singled home a run in the seventh and hit a two-out, solo homer in the ninth off left-hander Richard Bleier to win it.

The Rangers’ most meaningful move of the day was acquiring first baseman Ryan Garko off waivers from Seattle. Texas was looking for a right-handed hitter off the bench.

Garko is a .279 career hitter with Cleveland (2005-09) and San Francisco (2009). He signed a one-year, $550,000 contract with the Mariners, but batted only .220 with a homer and four RBIs in 15 games this spring.

“My bench has gotten better,” Washington said. “He’s the right-handed bat we were looking for. He can plays first and catch some for us.”

Garko was home in the Phoenix area when he got the call that he’d been claimed.

“I’ve very excited,” he said. “It’s a ballpark I’ve always loved to play in. I think I can help out against left-handed pitchers.”

Game notes
Borbon has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games. … C Jarrod Saltalamacchia pinch-hit and singled. He has been bothered by sore muscles in the back of his left shoulder, but caught an entire game on Wednesday. … Garko hasn’t caught a game since Triple-A. “I’ve caught my whole life,” he said. … Reds 1B Joey Votto is 11 for 13 in his last five games.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP)—The Cincinnati Reds’ plans to slash their spring training roster have been pushed back another day.

The Reds made two moves on Thursday, optioning right-hander Carlos Fisher(notes) to Triple-A Louisville and reassigning catcher Corky Miller(notes) to their minor league camp. They’re left with 38 players in camp—13 over the limit for opening [...]]]> Associated Press

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP)—The Cincinnati Reds’ plans to slash their spring training roster have been pushed back another day.

The Reds made two moves on Thursday, optioning right-hander Carlos Fisher(notes) to Triple-A Louisville and reassigning catcher Corky Miller(notes) to their minor league camp. They’re left with 38 players in camp—13 over the limit for opening day.

General manager Walt Jocketty had indicated the club would substantially reduce the roster on Thursday. The club wasn’t able to tell some of the players about its plans before they left the training complex following a 7-6 win over Texas, so the rest of the moves were put off for another day.